rick - thanks for posting these informative barefoot race accounts from the weekend. In particular, since he mentioned Seattle and triathlons, I wonder if Sterling might have overlapped with Barefoot Todd and me in any or our summertime triathlons. In fact, maybe he can join us sometime and we’ll start challenging the dozen plus bare feet you guys have been getting in your recent Omaha and SoCal marathons (and Boston 2005). He right on about being careful not to let twisting feet cause scraping. Julian’s overall 2:51 PR by more than a minute over his old shod PR is better yet as not too many runners are very impressed with my five hour marathons in bare feet being faster than in shoes. ======================= Sterling Holmes ran foot loose in the sixth annual Little Rock Marathon, completing the 5K barefoot today. "You actually feel the road," said Holmes, 46, of Little Rock. He was one of more than 7,500 participants in the marathon this weekend. Holmes, who wore No. 5289 in the race, started running barefoot about a year and a half ago when he developed hamstring injuries. A friend suggested he start running without shoes. When he did, the pain went away. "Shoes is like wearing a cast, so you rebuild those muscles," Holmes said. "If you land properly, there's no abrasion." He said it's a matter of taking the twist out of his landing. Often, if his feet feel tender, he runs on the yellow paint on the road to get a smoother surface. Feeling the different temperatures and textures of the asphalt enhances the running experience. If it's too cold, Holmes overdresses with a hat and gloves. He runs every morning, typically when it's no lower than 32 degrees in dry weather, when it's wet, no lower than 40 degrees. Once, though, in a Danville, Ark., race, he ran barefoot when it was 20 degrees. The longest road race Holmes has completed barefoot was 7 miles, and he's participated in 13-mile triathalons. His best time was a 6-minute pace in Seattle. The barefoot runner's worst fear is hitting a piece of glass, which Holmes has encountered only once. The sliver worked its way out in a few days. Rocks haven't been a problem for him either. "When you hit a big rock, you start to see them more," he said. "You learn real quick." When he started running, rude remarks, like "hillbilly" were the hardest thing to deal with, but such comments don't bother him anymore. "You just have to ignore them."A computer tech for Little Rock, Holmes is helping organize online registration for the race. What's the best thing about barefoot running? "You save a lot of money on shoes," he said. This article was published Sunday, March 2, 2008.